Sharpening The Cutting Edge

This report by the World Resources Institute evaluates how companies are addressing "cutting-edge issues" related to climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy. It provides a framework of six key actions for corporate leadership and assesses progress and barriers across areas such as GHG reporting, target setting, and market adaptation.

• The report outlines six strategic actions for companies to successfully navigate a low-carbon future: developing comprehensive climate metrics beyond carbon-only measures, expanding GHG reporting for risk disclosure, realigning strategies across value chains to minimize carbon price impacts, capturing new markets for resource-efficient goods, participating in U.S. and international policy dialogues, and factoring climate risks into long-term investment decisions to avoid high-carbon lock-in.
• While GHG emission reduction targets are now common among major corporations, these targets alone are insufficient to communicate full corporate commitments or to direct investments toward the critical changes needed for a low-carbon future.
• Companies have seen financial success in supplying low-carbon goods and services, but further advancement requires new business models, more investment, and policy frameworks that reward GHG emission reductions.
• Corporate preparation for market-based climate policies, such as carbon taxes or cap-and-trade programs, varies; some companies are building expert knowledge, while others remain unengaged and risk being unprepared for future regulations due to a difficult-to-navigate policy environment.
• Despite recognizing climate change as a business issue, current corporate goals and implementation strategies are not sufficient to achieve the scale of GHG emission reductions required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Sharpening The Cutting Edge. https://www.wri.org/research/sharpening-cutting-edge

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Sharpening The Cutting Edge. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/sharpening-cutting-edge.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Sharpening The Cutting Edge |url=https://www.wri.org/research/sharpening-cutting-edge |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsharpening, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Sharpening The Cutting Edge}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/sharpening-cutting-edge}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }